PRESENTED BY

Ashutosh Dash (1341016209)

Subhankar Senapati (1341016233)
Shubham Sarkar (1341016236)
Manoj Kumar Patra (1341016237)
Pallab Chowdhury (1341016238)

What is Meant
by Ethics ?

System of moral principles

Principles of right and wrong

Principles of conduct governing

behavior of an individual or a
group

 We, the members of IEEE, in recognition of the

importance of our technologies in affecting the

quality of life throughout the world, and in
accepting a personal obligation to our profession,
its members and the communities we serve, do
hereby commit ourselves to the highest ethical
and professional conduct and agree:

Code of Ethics (IEEE) Contd.

1. To accept responsibility in making
engineering decisions consistent with the
safety, health and welfare of the public, and to
disclose promptly factors that might endanger
the public or the environment.
2. To avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest
whenever possible, and to disclose them to
affected parties when they do exist.
3. To be honest and realistic in stating claims or
estimates based on available data.

Code of Ethics (IEEE) Contd.

4. To reject bribery in all its forms.
5. To improve the understanding of technology, its
appropriate application, and potential
consequences.
6. To maintain and improve our technical competence
and to undertake technological tasks for others only
if qualified by training or experience, or after full
disclosure of pertinent limitation.
7. To seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of
technical work, to acknowledge and correct errors,
and to credit properly the contributions of others.

Code of Ethics (IEEE) Contd.

8. To treat fairly all persons regardless of such
factors as race, religion, gender, disability,
age or national origin.
9. To avoid injuring others, their property,
reputation, or employment by false or
malicious action.
10. To assist colleagues and co-workers in their
professional development and to support
them in following this code of ethics.

Ethics in an Engineering Course ?

We have been studying engineering, such as
design, analysis, and performance
measurement.
Where does ethics fit in?

How Ethics Fits into

Engineering ?
Engineers . . .
Build products such as cell phones, home

appliances, heart valves, bridges, & cars. In

general they advance society by building new
technology.
Develop processes, such as the process to

convert salt water into fresh water or the process

to recycle bottles. These processes change how
we live and what we can accomplish.

Products and processes

have consequences for
society:
If the bridge has an inadequate support, it

will fail.
If the gas tank is positioned too close to the
bumper, it might explode from a small
accident.
If a medical instrument isnt accurate,
improper doses of medication can be given.
If the process for refining gas produces too
much toxins, it harms the local community.

Decisions made by
engineers usually have
serious consequences to
people -- often to
multitudes of people.

Ethics in Engineering
There are many fields of engineering, such

as
Civil
Mechanical
Electrical
Electronics
Computer Science

However, there are many ethical issues that

arise across all of these fields of engineering.

The code of ethics for engineers
pertains to engineers of all kinds.

The Engineering Code of Ethics

The Engineering Code of Ethics has three
components:
The Fundamental Canons: which articulate the

basic components of ethical engineering.

The Rules of Practice: which clarify and specify

in detail the fundamental canons of ethics in

engineering.
Professional Obligations: which elaborate the

obligations that engineers have.

NSPE Fundamental Canons of

Ethics
Engineers in the fulfillment of their professional duties
shall:
Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of
the public.
Perform services only in areas of their competence.
Issue public statements only in an objective and
truthful manner.
Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or
trustees.
Avoid deceptive acts.
Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly,
ethically, and lawfully, so as to enhance the honor,
reputation, and usefulness of the profession.

Issues that come up in these discussions:

ISSUE #1: HEALTH AND
SAFETY

Plutonium-239 (half-life =
24,110 yrs) is a particularly
toxic radio-isotope.
Normally, 10 half lives are
required before a Pu-239
contaminated area is
considered safe again, in the
case of plutonium, roughly

15

RISKS: Danger to current and

future
generations from leakage of
radioisotopes used in nuclear
power.

Issues (cont.):

a) The possibility of medical

science discovering a cure for
cancer sometime in the
current or next centuries adds
uncertainty to the long-term
health risks of leakages of
radio-active isotopes.

16

ISSUE #1: HEALTH AND

SAFETY RISKS, FURTHER
CONSIDERATIONS:

Issues (cont.):
ISSUE #1: HEALTH AND
SAFETY RISKS, FURTHER
CONSIDERATIONS:
b) The use of nuclear power
may increase our knowledge
of radioisotopes used for
medical purposes (possible
benefit?).

Issues that come up in these

discussions:

ISSUE #2: DEPLETION OF

RESOURCES:
Fossil fuels, oil, natural gas
and coal, are non-renewable.
These resources also affect
the goal of health because of
their impact on pollution and
climate changes.

18

CONSEQUENCES OF
ALTERNATIVES TO NUCLEAR
POWER.

Issues that come up in these discussions:

CONSEQUENCES OF
ALTERNATIVES TO NUCLEAR
POWER.
19

ISSUE #3: COMPARATIVE

ECONOMIC COSTS OF
RENEWABLE SOURCES.
Renewable sources such as hydroelectric-power, wind power, solar
power, geo-thermal heat, agricultural
biomass and tides do not cause the
environmental
that fossilBut renewable hazards
sources must
be balanced with the amount of
fuels
do.
energy needed to produce and maintain them and consequent
environmental hazards. Currently, for example, the energy
required to manufacture and install solar energy systems comes
from fossil fuels.

The Essence of Engineering

Career
Engineering is one of the most important professions in

society.
As engineers we dont just build things and develop

processes.
We build things and make processes in order to better

society.
In order to make society better we have to reflect

constantly on the products and processes that we

make.

Social Responsibility
One main connection between ethics and

engineering comes from the impact that

engineered products and processes have on
society.
Engineers have to think about designing,

building, and marketing products that benefit

society.
Social Responsibility requires taking into

consideration the needs of society.

Professional Responsibility
Ethics has a second connection with

engineering.
It comes from the way in which being socially

responsible puts duties and obligations on us

individually.
Ethics fits into engineering is through

professional responsibility.

Two Dimensions of Ethics in

Engineering
Ethics is part of engineering for two main

reasons:a) Engineers need to be socially responsible

when building products and processes for

society.
b) Social responsibility requires professional

responsibility.

Ethics Courage , Integrity &

Respect
Now we can conclude that

for being ethical requires:

Courage to do the right

thing the situation calls

for.
The integrity to
withstand the pressures
that push you in the
wrong direction.
Respect differences in
people, their ideas and
opinions.